This invention relates to the field of software communications and messaging protocols. More specifically, this invention relates to a method for more robust and efficient interfaces between a broad category of new and existing computing devices connected 1) wirelessly, 2) via serial cables 3) by modem dial-up or 4) by network cabling. Even more specifically, this invention relates to an infrastructure for translation of a configurable set of source and destination attributes such as 1) device type, 2) protocol type, and 3) application data format type utilized by such devices during operation of device-specific applications.
New electronic devices with embedded processing capabilities are continually being developed for various consumer, business, and other industries and applications. Examples of these devices include, but are not limited to, smart-phones, handheld computers and personal data assistants, television set-top boxes, high-definition television, automotive accessories such as real-time GPS navigation systems, security system sensors, and pagers. Each of these devices generally has different communication and data needs and capabilities. As these examples illustrate, the issue of data communication protocols and techniques is no longer limited to the telecommunications, computing, and broadcasting industries.
However, sharing data between these devices is often impossible; in the few cases where sharing is possible, such sharing occurs between two specific devices and usually requires complicated and inconvenient manual intervention. For example, consider the following typical scenario for sharing data between two electronic devices such as those listed above. First, the electronic device user must have a connection to another processing device, typically a Personal Computer (PC). Data to be shared must be copied from the non-PC device to the intervening PC, often by using specialized and proprietary software, then translated into an interim format, and finally, re-copied to the destination device, possibly using yet another proprietary software package to perform the translation. When the data-sending device and the data-receiving device are at two different locations, the Internet is a common vehicle for the data transfer, but this requires PCs with Internet connections and e-mail capabilities at both the data source and the data destination. Under this scenario, the destination PC receives the data (by e-mail attachment, for example) for the data-receiving device, and then conducts its own translation-and-download sequence to get the data onto the destination device. As this example demonstrates, this process usually requires significant human coordination between the source of the data and the destination of that data. Additionally, the source and destination data formats are often discovered to be incompatible when the data is received, rendering the entire transfer attempt useless, and the sharing of data between the source and destination devices impossible.
One solution to this problem is a mechanism or device that can first determine the source and destination device type and data format requirements, and then actually transfer the information from the source to the destination. While there are existing mechanisms known as gateways that perform these functions today, current gateways are highly limited in that they are capable of handling only a specific set (usually a pair) of communications protocols identified for implementation during the gateway design process. Adding support for new protocols and/or data formats to existing gateways often requires significant re-design, upgrades, or modifications, all of which are time-consuming and error-prone.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,771 to Darland, et al. describes a telecommunications industry-related gateway that translates the SS7 telecommunications protocol to and from Network Information Distribution Service (NIDS) protocol. Like other gateways, this gateway is not transferable to new protocols utilized in different devices or different industries without significant rework because it was designed to solve a single communications need.
A new solution is therefore required that provides a translator capable of “keeping up” with the constantly-evolving, multi-industry electronic device market without continually requiring upgrades and modification whenever a new device and/or protocol is introduced. The present invention is such a generic communications protocol translator. The present invention determines the source and destination device type and data format requirements, and then handles the information transfer from the source to the destination. The present invention is capable of on-the-fly recognition, categorization, and conversion of various communication protocols by evaluating ten major discriminators. This enables the present invention to recognize and handle future protocols, device types, and application formats without the need for design modifications or upgrades.